Winning a state championship in any sport is hard but it’s harder to repeat the following year and the Eastern ( Pekin ) Lady Musketeers can attest for that as they fell in the Class 2A Austin Sectional 46 on Friday night, Feb. 2.

The Musketeers defeated Providence earlier in the season, but on this particular night they couldn’t hit a basket and that was their down fall as Providence got revenge and captured the 48-30 win. However, on Saturday night, Paoli claimed the sectional championship with a 47-44 win.

Eastern ended the year at 20-4 and was ranked No. 2 and Providence was No. 12.

The Pioneers took the early lead in the first quarter and never trailed in the game as they coasted to the win. Providence led 12-8 after the first quarter, but Eastern got to within one, 12-11 in the second quarter, but Providence would score 12 of the next 13 points to lead 24-12 at the break.

The Pioneers then opened up a 32-16 lead in the third quarter, but the Musketeers senior Rachel Stewart done all she could to bring her team back, but couldn’t get it no closer that 12 points. The Pioneers led 37-22 after three quarters.

Their lead ballooned to 20, 44-24 in the fourth quarter and they held on for the 18-point win.

Stewart led the Musketeers with 12 points and will leave the program as a 1,000 point scorer. Savannah Emmert added nine in the loss.